A new solid-fuel IRBM motor being fired from a horizontal stand at Magunpho near Hamhung on the east coast | Image: KCNA (Nov. 15, 2023)
North Korea says it successfully tested solid-fuel motors for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) for the first time in recent days, another step toward developing nuclear missiles that can be launched on shorter notice at enemy targets in the region.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, the General Missile Bureau carried out a test of the new first-stage “high-thrust solid fuel motor” on Nov. 11 and the second-stage engine on Nov. 14.
North Korea says it successfully tested solid-fuel motors for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) for the first time in recent days, another step toward developing nuclear missiles that can be launched on shorter notice at enemy targets in the region.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, the General Missile Bureau carried out a test of the new first-stage “high-thrust solid fuel motor” on Nov. 11 and the second-stage engine on Nov. 14.
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Colin Zwirko is a Senior Analytic Correspondent for NK News based in Seoul. He joined the company in 2018 after receiving a master's degree in international security and foreign policy from South Korea's Yonsei University. Follow him on Twitter.